Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

You can read a whole bunch of reviews about how this product does or doesn't work. Key to success is going to the Permatex website and clicking on their Video Demo Online link. Choose the "Permatex® Complete Rear Window Defogger Repair Kit" video. They've partnered with GM, but the key here is that they show many more steps than the back of the package. The first part of the video is about the grid repair, you can skip to about the middle of the video to where they show the tab repair portion (unless you need to fix your grid as well, but then, you'd be on a different Amazon web page). So what was my key to success: preparation, preparation, ... you get the idea. First, remove the tab from the pigtail of the wiring harness. On my 2004 Ford Taurus, even that chore wasn't easy, it was pretty well locked in. Once out, you really have to get all the old adhesive off the mating surface of the tab. This took about 15-20 minutes of going slow with (in my case) a metal file to knock off the big chunks and then switching to the fine sandpaper called out in the video. Didn't see that on the back of the package? That step isn't there, but is essential. I also lighted sanded the window glass mounting area (very lightly), just to get rid of any roughness where the tab was previously fastened before it tore loose. Then you need to clean the surface of both the tab and the window glass mating surface with rubbing alcohol. Didn't see that step either, right? Watch the video!! So I broke out our trusty bottle of 70% IPA and a clean paper towel, soaked the towel, and meticulously wiped down the surface of the tab and the glass where it would mate, a number of times, allowing the IPA to dry / evaporate quickly in between. Don't touch the tab side after you've cleaned it with the rubbing alcohol, or you'll transfer oil from your fingers. At this point, you're ready to apply the tab to the window glass area it separated from. On our Taurus, there's a sizable block of the reddish brown conductive material on the rear glass to apply it to, including the small area where it broke away from. DON'T PUT IT BACK DIRECTLY ON THE SMALL SECTION IT SEPARATED FROM! It might work, but it's cheap insurance to place it above, below, or to the side of that "gap" in the remaining conductive material. To apply the tab to the glass, there's a two part solution, one is the adhesive contained in the foil pouch, and the second part is the conductive material in the little bag. Knead the conductive material first, a lot. Do this on a warm day, not a 28F day (I did ours in our garage in late spring, about 60F). If it is too cold, the two part adhesive won't cure readily -- then you'll read about the folks whose tab "fell off". If you are in the middle of winter and try this repair, I suggest you consider bringing your hair dryer out to the car and heating up the glass mounting area to room temp (70-75F). That will aide in the curing process. After kneading the conductive material bag, open the foil pouch with the adhesive (and as they warn you, don't touch the adhesive). Apply that to both the tab mounting surface AND the window glass area you'll be applying the tab to. WAIT AT LEAST TWO MINUTES, BUT NOT MORE THAN FIFTEEN. Didn't see that step? Watch the video!! It won't look wet, but it has applied the adhesive to those two areas. I waited 3 minutes before applying a blob of the conductive material to the tab surface (on top of the adhesive you can't see). Then I pressed it into place on a CLEAN part of the conductive material block on the rear window. Press and hold for 1 minute. Then wait 24 hours for the two part system to cure before plugging the wire pigtail connector back onto the tab. This worked first time for me, but I probably spent an hour total reading the directions on the package, watching the video 2x, writing down all the steps from the video, and actually performing the repair. The tab is holding, the defroster grid works, and the repair is effective. By the way, the reason for the 4 star rating and not 5 is the fact that Permatex doesn't refer to the video on their package, and without watching the video, your odds of success are diminished significantly, because the limited instructions on the back of the package are probably not enough to ensure success. But now you know the tricks! Good luck!